Plaid Cymru has called on Culture Minister Alun Pugh to extend the Welsh Language Act deeper into the private sector.

PLAID CYMRU has called on Culture Minister Alun Pugh to extend the Welsh Language Act deeper into the private sector.

Last week the Minister announced that he was extending the 1993 legislation to cover the private water companies, forcing them to provide services in Welsh, something they had previously done of their own volition.

It was the first time that the Act has been applied to the private sector and there were concerns that other businesses could find themselves being brought under the auspices of the Act in future.

At a meeting of the National Assembly's Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee, yesterday Plaid Cymru's Owen John Thomas called on the Minister for exactly that, asking him to extend the Act to new sectors.

Mr Thomas said, "I'm concerned that the new technology being used in banking, for example, means a lot more people are using the web to deal with their money.

"What I would like you to do, in consultation with the Language Board, is to put pressure on the banks to consider making the service on the website bilingual.

"And in the same way, contact companies like Vodafone, which play an important role in young people's lives in particular, to provide a service in Welsh.

"You can get it in Spanish, German and a lot of quite small languages."

In response Mr Pugh said that last week's extension of the Welsh Language Act was by no means the last he was planning.

"I believe companies that offer public utilities, companies that are effectively private monopolies, should deal with people in Wales in the language of their choice.

"I'm very keen indeed to ensure existing legislation is used to its maximum extent. Owen John raises a legitimate point.

"We will have something interesting to say about IT projects later this year," he added.

But Alun Cairns, the Conservatives' Economic Development spokesman in the Assembly, last night attacked the Minister for his willingness to foist new regulations on business rather than working with the private sector.

"It is far more effective to encourage businesses and work with business rather than introducing more rules and regulations and red tape."

"When any politician makes a call to extend the Welsh Language Act in to the private sector they need to consider the potential adverse effect it will have on investment and attitudes towards Wales.

"A far more positive move would be to encourage private companies to have Welsh language policies because they appreciated there would be a significant marketing advantage in doing so."